Saying goodbye

Our chapter in Rexburg is quickly coming to an end.

It feels like we have been here for a very long time but also seems like it was just yesterday that we were moving in and Scott was carrying me across our first threshold. I couldn't have asked for a better first apartment.

 I will always cherish our first little home in Rexburg.
It's crazy to think that we may never be back to Rexburg again, or maybe the next time we are back we could be moving one of our kids for college!
It's been a fun adventure to say the least.

We've had many great memories and firsts here in Rexburg:

+Many dances in the kitchen/living room

+Our first Valentines day together

+My first Birthday married

+Countless hours and hard work studying for the OAT and filling out optometry application

+Found out we are pregnant

+A million movie marathons because there was nothing else to do

+Used all of our wedding presents for the first time

+competitive wii tournaments 

+Living alone as a married couple for the first time 

+Playing card games

+Dinner for two everyday...now three ;)

+Built a snowman together for the first time

+Carved our initials in a tree at porter park

+Had our first picnic together

+First Halloween together 

+Trips to the library

+Dropping off and picking Scott up from school

+Many trips to Little Caesars pizza

+Walks in the snow

+Asking Scott if he REALLY has to go to school each morning 

And last but not least Scott graduating!!!

So grateful for all our sweet memories made in Rexburg and can't wait to start this next adventure in our lives! 

The morning we left 3203 

Fall festivities

This past week has been a FUN one. I love all the fun activities Scott and I have been checking off on our Fall bucket list. I forgot how much I love this season. We decided to carve pumpkins Friday night with Scott's cousin Logan and his wife Becca. Originally Scott and I were just going to carve one pumpkin together but we got a little excited while picking out a pumpkin that we decided to go ahead and get two. We were both very proud of our work! I have to admit I was pretty impressed with Scott's pumpkin, he has a very artistic side to him. After gutting and carving we of course roasted the seeds, which seems to be a must when carving pumpkins. I've never been a big fan of pumpkin seeds, but Scott seems to love them...more for him. 

Can you tell whose is whose? 

Saturday evening we drove to the trail head of R-mountain to hike up and catch the sunset as sun went down. Scott loves hiking and the outdoors, as for me I was a little scared of the thought of a snake slithering out and crossing my path the whole way up. Scott assured me that snakes are more scared of us and that they don't move around when it is cold outside (whew). Once we reached the top it was so worth it, the sunset was beautiful! It was so fun sitting together watching the sunset change colors as the sun went down. We wish we could have camped out right there on the mountain so we could watch the sun rise as well, however that was against the R-mountain rules and we didn't have a tent. Maybe someday. I love doing fun adventures with Scott. Life is wonderful. 

& the next chapter begins...

We are finally moved into our new apartment! Living in Rexburg Idaho on our own couldn't be more surreal. We've been with family all summer so it's nice having our own place and only being able to rely on each other. It's almost like we are NOW married. This past weekend has been a long one. Scott and I are so grateful my parents ended up helping us move to Rexburg, it would have been a nightmare and 2x as much work without them. Prosser to Rexburg is about a 10.5 hour drive, so we decided to break it up into two days. We made it to Boise on Thursday and arrived in Rexburg on Friday. 

(Although Scott might still disagree with our decision to rent a uhaul, I am so glad we did. On our drive, there was a HUGE rainstorm that would have soaked all our belongings had they been in the back of my dad's truck) 

We were extremely excited and anxious to see our apartment. We weren't really sure how big it was going to be or the condition it was in, pictures can be deceiving. I was just hoping we could fit all of our belongings into the apartment! 

As we parked and started walking towards the apartment building we were ecstatic to see that the building was brand new. 

(It was only fitting for Scott to carry me across our first threshold) 

As we walked into the apartment we quickly realized that the apartment wasn't as big as we were expecting. But the smell of "newness" and knowledge we had that we were the first to live here outweighed the lack of storage space. The apartment quickly filled up with all of our belongings. Once they were all carried in we opened up all of our new kitchen supplies we got as wedding presents from their packaging...*finally*. Using all of our presents for the first time has been the best! 

Here are some pictures of our sweet little apartment:

(I love the light & bright colors. We weren't thrilled with the couch we got, but it will do :))

(I'm in love with this kitchen. We registered/bought all of our appliances white, because I love white! Having white cupboards, oven, fridge, and dishwasher was the cherry on top) 

(I had to laugh when Scott called this my "shrine")

(I love our bedding! I know it may look a tad bit girly but Scott actually was with me when we picked it out...and he likes it. So it all worked out, the girl is the decorator right? I'm lucky my husband isn't very particular)

(A small storage closet was perfect for our desk. I'm sure to find Scott here most of the year)

(I'm in love with our bathroom)

(Our little wedding picture frame collage)

(I'm proud of our little night stands we redid together. We are very excited to use our chalkboard sign, "I love you because...you cut my hair")

It took a while to put everything in its place but once it was all set up with every box unpacked, I couldn't have imagined it any better. Everything actually fit perfectly. Cozy and perfect. We love it. We are so excited to start this chapter of our lives. Forever newlyweds. 

Our long, full, and crazy summer

Our summer has been far from organized and planned. The only thing we knew for sure when going into this wonderful season was that we were getting married! We THOUGHT we were going to be in California for an internship Scott got but then he decided to go a different route, so that left us here in Vancouver. As newlyweds, we were in desperate need for money. It was time to start saving up for the school year. So we decided to work for Scott’s uncle doing fair work down in California for about a month. I never thought that a week after being married I would be living in a hotel working at fairs. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. It was quite the experience to say the least. I think my lingering state of bliss from the wedding and honeymoon allowed me to endure those long weeks. It was quick money, and we needed it. It wasn’t all bad, we made a lot of memories that we will be able to tell our kids someday. 

 (ZOOM ball. We worked on this booth most of the time as well as Walk on water)

 (Can't complain about this view)

(We loved being able to work together)

(Walk on water booth)

(In between fairs we had a few days off and went to the San Diego beach. It was a lot of fun and a much needed break)

After we were done working fairs Scott started working for a family friend right away in Dupont, which meant…more hotels. Thankfully Scott was able to get a week off in July for the first annual Wilson family reunion at Bear Lake. Scott and I drove to Prosser to meet up with my parents to drive to the family reunion with them. We drove to Boise the first day where we met up with Kim and her kids and Julie and Kellen. We had a fun day floating the Boise river on rafts and enjoyed a delicious meal at Cafe Rio afterwards (I'm already having withdrawals from not having Cafe Rio for so long). The next day the whole family met at the cabin that my parents rented for the week. It was so nice to be with the whole family again since the wedding. The wedding week was so hectic and busy that there wasn't any time for games and hanging out. I had been looking forward to this reunion for a long time, especially since I was married now! I wasn't going to be the odd man out without a significant other. I was anxious for Scott to experience a Wilson reunion. It was a fun filled week. We rented jet skis, went to the beach, played sports in the park, had minute to win it competitions, had a talent show where everyone had to participate, went to the Minnetonka cave, and played many late night games once all the kids were in bed. 

(floating the Boise river. This is where my phone got wet and I had to go without my phone for the whole reunion. Scott was happy I didn't have my phone attached to me all week but wasn't too happy to find out we were going to have to pay for a replacement :/ oops. Merry Christmas to me. I'm never taking my phone near water again, zip lock bag or not)

(This was the most perfect day at the beach)

 (The gang)

(Love being with all my sisters, I wish we could all live down the street from each other) 

(At the Minnetonka cave. Julie made us all matching shirts)

Now that Scott is the only one working I have all the time in the world to catch up on my blogging ;). I'm so grateful that Scott is such a hard worker, I have no doubt that he will be the best provider for our family. In all honesty I miss working with him and being able to be with him all day long. My favorite part of the day is when he comes home :). We still fit in some fun with his work schedule. 

 (My mother-in-law taught me how to cut Scott's hair for the first time. I actually find it very fun!)

 (Our favorite ice cream shop, Salt & Straw. I'm going to miss this place when we move to Rexburg)

(Fourth of July fun)

(I was a little leery about rock climbing, but it was actually really fun and a good workout)

(We walked to a gas station and had a mini ice cream date. It's the little things! Ignore Scott's expression, he IS having fun)

(Sunday is Scott's day off, therefore, my favorite day of the week. I love him being home with me)

Scott has only 5 days left of work and then it's time to pack up and head to Prosser where we are going to be celebrating Scott's Birthday, driving to Quincy for a little Lindquist family reunion, and enjoying the little bit of the summer we have left until it's time to head to Rexburg for school. It has been a huge blessing to have this summer to earn money before we move out on our own. Scott is ready to be done with work and is pretty excited to start up school again. As for me, I am absolutely thrilled to move into our first apartment together! It's been hotels, motels, and our parent's houses this whole summer. It is a new chapter that we are both very excited to start! 

Honeymoonin' in Los Cabos, Mexico

Scott planned the whole Honeymoon and decided he wanted it to be a surprise until we got to the airport. He gave me a list of 10 possible choices with the honeymoon spot being one of them, and each month he would eliminate one off the list. This left only two options the day of our wedding. He told me that we will be next to a beach, it would be hot, and I needed a passport. Three things that I wanted to hear :). I have never been out of the country so I was very excited to experience this first with Scott. Due to filling out flight information and passport forms Scott ended up having to tell me where we were going the night before we left. I was very excited! I am still pretty proud of him for keeping a secret for as long as he did.           

It was a very early morning flight so we were up bright and early. We got to the airport in PLENTY of time; if there is one thing I have learned about the Lindquist family it is that they like to be early. I didn’t mind though, we were newlyweds about to get on a plane to a tropical paradise! It was a long day of traveling with a lot of anticipation built up. When we finally landed we were greeted by the owners of the condo we were staying at, they were kind enough to pick us up at the airport and drive us to the condo themselves to show us around.

It wasn’t long before we headed to the beach. Unfortunately, Scott insisted on only bringing carry-ons, (heaven forbid we pay for a checked bag) which concluded to us not packing any sunscreen. The first day in Cabo we decided to risk it and went without any sun protection thinking that we wouldn’t burn. To our dismay that night our skin seemed to be on fire. We were as red as can be, even Scott, who had mentioned to me that he doesn’t burn. We learned our lesson there and decided that first thing in the morning, before we head to the beach, we would buy some sunscreen. $20.00! We paid $20.00 for sunscreen. Using Spanish, Scott tried to talk the lady down on her price. Although Scott’s Spanish did come in handy most of the trip and actually did work a lot of the time, it did not work in this case. Lesson learned. A little late, but lesson learned. Maybe Scott will let me check a bag next time ;).

Aside from the bad burns and blistered feet from the unbelievably hot sand we absolutely loved laying on the beach and swimming in the ocean. Along the beach there are vendors dressed in all white who walk back and forth all day trying to sell you something…anything you look at really. It is pretty amusing and annoying at the same time. How they can be in long sleeves, pants, with the hot sun, on the beach all day is beyond me. Scott did end up talking a guy way down on his price for a beautiful bracelet that I had my eye on.

The usual routine we had was wake up, breakfast, pack a little lunch, beach, dinner at our favorite restaurant Pepe’s tacos (seriously the best), and then walk around shops until it got dark. We had a lot of fun exploring and being in a new place. We did A LOT of walking; Scott gave in once and let us get a bicycle taxi ride :).

The day before we left we went on a snorkeling trip. Food and drinks were all inclusive (Scott was very excited about this part). The boat took us out to large reef where we stopped and snorkeled for about an hour. It was so much fun being surrounded by several fish. It was great being able to hold hands with my husband and snorkel together.

We hope to make it back someday, back to our honeymoon spot, and back to those fabulous Pepe’s tacos (Scott thinks I’m obsessed). The best part about the trip was being able to experience all of these things with Scott. Still to this day we can’t believe we are actually married! We have so much fun and are so happy to be able to spend each day together. Forever newlyweds.